We Eat, We Remember, We Enjoy. Growing up, one of my favorite parts of church service was taking communion. I was always amazed that adults got snacks also! Communion is certainly more than an intermission with a tasty treat or a bathroom break. In a very simple, basic way, communion is about family eating...

Acts 3:8 He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them. The Temple had several entrances. The one called “Beautiful” was one of the favored gates. A certain crippled man was next to Beautiful every day so he could beg.

1 Peter 1:3-53 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded...

Calling the crowd to join his disciples Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you

There’s this phrase that is voiced in multiple Psalms and later in the Gospels we hear it spoken as people drew near to Jesus. A Canaanite woman in need, a father crying out for his son, unnamed blind men approached Jesus with this phrase on their lips, Bartimaeus calls through the crowd and my personal...

Have you ever heard or perhaps used the phrase, “God helps those who help themselves”? Yeah. I’ve heard it many times and in many different contexts; the thing is, this isn’t a biblical concept or teaching. It sounds good, it’s great for justifying our actions and behaviors or second portions of mashed potatoes...

Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Quite often we have random questions and conversations in our household. Sometimes I am able answer these questions clearly enough that the gleam of understanding appears in the eyes of my kids. I proudly walk away...

One of the most familiar passages of scripture is Psalm 23. You may have heard it in song, sometimes read at funerals, many have memorized it as children, and it has even been quoted in movies. When I read Psalm 23, I can imagine David sitting outside watching his sheep and worshiping the Lord. He knew that in order for...

The appointed Psalm for April 7, 2020 in the lectionary is Psalm 71. This particular psalm is one of lament. Lamentation psalms look to lay a troubled situation before the Lord and ask him for help. Psalms of lament are by far the largest category of psalms in the whole Psalter, they make up one third. This may tell us something about the reality

Job lived through calamity. If you have read the beginning of the book of Job, “calamity” may be putting it mildly. Job was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. He’s the kind of guy you just want to like and admire. Suddenly, the story shifts and all these good things disappear.